Supreme Court Declines Alaska Lawsuit Over Automatic Deduction of Union Dues

The U.S. Supreme Court rebuffed an appeal by Alaska aimed at reinstating its government union dues deduction system that the state argued was designed to safeguard state employees’ constitutionally protected free speech rights. The system required that unionized employees register with their union each year to give consent for the deduction of union dues and fees. The court denied the petition for review in Alaska v. Alaska State Employees Association (ASEA), in an unsigned order on Jan. 16. No justices dissented. The court did not explain its decision. At least four of the nine justices must vote to grant a petition for a case to move forward to the oral argument stage....